There was an era where the marketing buzzword of the day was “surprise and delight.” This became the goal of nearly every project. We heard the phrase with the same frequency as “make it pop!” Interestingly, both have fallen to the wayside (Please don’t bring back the latter).
The core concept of surprise and delight is self-explanatory, but in case you haven’t heard the term in the marketing context, it’s the strategy of offering your customers something unexpected. To go “over and above” the anticipated outcome in a way that ideally makes your customer smile or experience connection and empathy. It’s that little extra, or as my friend Mitzy from Louisiana would say, it’s like a laignappe.*
There are many opportunities along the customer journey where a company may utilize this concept. It can be a “gift” with purchase. Or for instance, I’ve traveled with my dog and arrived in the hotel room to find a heartwarming pet overnight kit and a note welcoming my pup. This is a wonderful detail etched forever into my experience. I have forgotten a hundred hotel stays. Never that one.
We desire these experiences even in our lowest points. If you’re familiar with the brand Chewy, you’ve most likely heard about the loyalty they garner by going over and above for their customers who lose a pet. Pet owners receive flowers, sympathy cards, and a refund for any leftover food. And while this must be systematized to a certain extent, these gestures aren’t cookie cutter. The cards are handwritten by the sales rep who speaks with the pet owner. They personalize their note with the pet’s name. And when the pet owner posts about it on social media, Chewy responds right away with another kind remembrance. Especially in tough times, we need the feeling of being remembered and considered.
Surprise and delight can also extend to your internal team. Not only “perks” such as free soda or shuttle service (if you’re big tech). For internal teams it's beneficial to create small morale boosters, such as:
Host a movie day
Place a Rubik’s cube on everyone’s desk before they arrive and have a Rubik’s challenge
Handwrite personalized thank you notes to everyone on your team
It doesn’t need to be something on a large scale. The smallest surprise can signal humanity. Recently we created a suite of materials for a client’s summer party. The design was painterly in style with large brushes of color and hand inked titles. When it came to name tags, each one was its own little piece of artwork. With Jackson Pollock-style backgrounds, everyone had their name hand inked. All 136 names. All three Jens were unique. And the three Davids. Both the Brians. No two were alike.
In this project below, new homeowners were sent a package with booklets giving them moving tips and an orientation to their new neighborhood. A gift from the developer. All packages were ribbon-tied and adorned with a wooden ornament of Washington state and metal charm stamped with the word “home.”
One of our favorite pre-pandemic examples was when Q&A celebrated the Day of Happiness. We stocked up on girl scout cookies and a few other swag stuffers, delivering happiness to clients in the Seattle area. Whenever possible, the front desk would give us access to their office so we could decorate client desks before they arrived.
We look for opportunities to create these small but effective human connections for our projects. With a little imagination and a spirit of giving, you can break the monotony of simply selling and instead build loyal fans.
* (Lan-yap) Cajun French term for a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of purchase or more broadly meaning “a little something extra.”
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